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"CIVIL WAR BATTLES" APPS

CIVIL WAR BATTLES APPS are a product of my collaboration with award-winning developer/publisher John Tiller Software. They are detailed turn-based simulations of battles from the American Civil War. Unit types include infantry, cavalry, artillery, gunboats, and supply wagons as well as leaders which can significantly determine the outcome of a battle just based on their own personal leadership and command abilities. Scenarios in each release generally cover a combination of both historical and “what-if” situations allowing you to make decisions as commander of the forces involved that could dramatically affect the outcome. You might wish to first install and play the free Civil War Battles app to test the game engine on your device and become familiar with the interface. Civil War Battles apps are best suited to tablet play.

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CIVIL WAR BATTLES - CORINTH $2.99

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Description:
This release includes 16 scenarios (10 Confederate and 6 Union) covering battles associated with the 1862 North Mississippi Campaign, including Iuka, Corinth, and Davis Bridge, as well as the earlier Armstrong Raid into Tennessee.

Armstrong's Raid: Middleburg (Historical) - Aug. 30 1862Historical Description:
In late August of 1862, a strong Confederate cavalry force under Brigadier General Frank C. Armstrong raided Union-held West Tennessee. The plan was to "threaten Bolivar, and, if possible, take Jackson (TN) and destroy the Mobile and Ohio Railroad." Along a creek bed east of Middleburg, the 7th Tennessee Cavalry ran into the advance of Colonel Mortimer Leggett's Federal brigade from Bolivar. Reinforced by two more regiments and Balch's Battalion, the Confederates drove through Middleburg, passing around the Union right flank. A successful skirmish against the 2nd Illinois Cavalry and four infantry companies was fought between the town and Bolivar. The action forced Leggett's brigade to fall back to Bolivar and Armstrong, apparently not wishing to become heavily engaged, let them go. Two days later, at Britton's Lane, Armstrong would change his mind about getting involved in a decisive fight in West Tennessee.Comments:
(PLAYER SIDE - CONFEDERATE) You have two options for getting through Leggett’s roadblock, straight ahead through the wooded creek bottom or a wide swing to the west through Middleburg itself. Both have terrain and opposition challenges. It is likely that a major victory will require capturing all the objectives so you may wish to drive up both roads at the same time.

Armstrong's Raid: Britton's Lane (Historical) - Sept. 1 1862Historical Description:
After skirmishes with Federal forces at Middleburg and later at Medon, Armstrong turned his cavalry to the northwest toward Denmark. Meanwhile, a Union brigade under Colonel Elias Dennis was leaving Denmark, marching southeast to Medon toward the last known position of the Confederate horsemen. Local guides directed the Federal column along Britton's Lane, a narrow road that would decrease the distance to Medon by several miles. The Federal brigade was strung out over a distance of several miles with the 20th Illinois, a section of artillery, and a cavalry company in the van. At the intersection of Britton's Lane and Steam Mill Ferry Road, a nasty little fight developed that was later called the Battle of Britton's Lane.Comments:
(PLAYER SIDE - UNION) Britton’s Lane is a meeting engagement between your small brigade and a much larger Confederate cavalry brigade. Hold the crossroads against the enemy assaults, all the while making sure your position is not outflanked.

Hamilton's Tuscumbia Line (What-if) - Sept. 15 1862Description:
Similar to Trap at Little Yellow Creek an aggressive Price attacks Corinth, this time from the south. It is a surprise, but necessitates a contested crossing of the Tuscumbia River.Comments:
(PLAYER SIDE - CONFEDERATE) Each wing of your army must cross an unfordable body of war (river on the left, creek on the right). Time is a factor as it can be assumed that nearby Union forces will be alerted to your presence and converge on Corinth. The brute force method might succeed but the losses incurred can cost you victory. Bringing your artillery forward to soften up the enemy defenses should bear fruit but don’t delay your attack for too long or you won’t be able to reach the heights beyond within the allotted time.

Battle of Little Yellow Creek (What-if) - Sept. 17 1862Description:
This hypothetical scenario assumes that Price was not content to adopt a defensive posture at Iuka. Instead, the Army of the West aggressively attacks directly toward Corinth, encountering an unsuspecting Grant-Ord Union wing in the middle of crossing a pair of deep creeks. Using dense woods and ravines for cover, a clever ambush places the Union force in grave danger.Comments:
(PLAYER SIDE - UNION) Revealing from which direction(s) the Confederates will appear will spoil the surprise, but suffice it to say that you’ll be hard pressed to retain the whole array of map objectives. Prioritize which ones you feel you can hold and inflict as many losses on the attacking enemy as possible.Battle of Iuka (Historical) - September 19 1862Historical Description:
Ordered to aid Braxton Bragg’s Kentucky adventure, Confederate general Sterling Price’s Army of the West struck at the Union garrison and depot at Iuka, Mississippi in September. Chasing away the small garrison, Price entered Iuka on the 14th, his famished troops gorging themselves on captured stores. On the 17th, West Tennessee department commander U.S. Grant, sensing an opportunity to crush Price, ordered a two-pronged attack on Iuka. General Ord’s left wing would take portions of the divisions of Ross, McArthur and Davies and advance directly from Corinth to Iuka via Burnsville. At the same time, General Rosecrans, with the divisions of Hamilton and Stanley, would attack Iuka from the south. Unfortunately for the Union side, Grant and Ord, claiming not to have heard firing coming from the south, failed to advance, leaving Rosecrans to fight the battle alone.Comments:
(PLAYER SIDE - CONFEDERATE) You initially face Rosecrans with only a single brigade one mile southwest of Iuka, but two more (those of Martin and Gates) from the same division are on the way. It is already late in the day, and your objective is to hold the Union attackers at bay until nightfall, when the entire army can make its escape.

Iuka: Grant Attacks (What-if) - September 19 1862Historical Description:
Various conjectures and excuses have been offered as to why the planned two-pronged assault on Iuka miscarried. This hypothetical scenario rejects the historical passivity of the Grant-Ord wing and has the Union force assault the Confederate position northwest of Iuka.Comments:
(PLAYER SIDE - UNION) It is assumed that Grant is aware of the battle raging south of Iuka and he orders Ord to attack. The fading light precludes complex maneuver and full use of Union artillery superiority, but an attack must be made in order to fix Price’s army in place and trouble him to such a degree that he cannot dispatch reinforcements to the Confederates already fighting Rosecrans.

Iuka (What-if): Price's Breakout - Sept. 20 1862Historical Description:
In the historical battle, Rosecrans advanced to Iuka on a single road, leaving the roughly parallel running Fulton Road to the east unguarded. This what-if scenario assumes that the Union commander advanced up both roads, as initially planned, Hamilton along the Jacinto Road and Stanley the Fulton Road. Price’s army is trapped, spending an uneasy night in the streets of Iuka. In order to open an escape route for the Confederate army, Price must shove Stanley aside.Comments:
(PLAYER SIDE - CONFEDERATE) Stanley’s division occupies the wooded high ground south and east of town, thoroughly blocking your army’s Fulton Road escape route. Necessary rear guard detachments leave you with only four brigades with which to achieve your breakthrough. Drive through to the south edge map objective at all costs. Time is a factor as it can be assumed that Ord and Hamilton (off-map) will advance once they hear the sounds of battle.

Corinth (Day 1): Beauregard Line (Historical) - Oct. 3 1862Description:
After the stiff fight at Iuka, Sterling Price's Army of the West escaped to the southwest seeking to combine forces with the smaller command of General Earl Van Dorn. Feinting toward West Tennessee in order to fix in place the Union troops guarding the railroads, Van Dorn and Price veered to the east, crossing the Hatchie River and pressing on toward Corinth in stifling heat. While the Confederates organized their surprise attack on Corinth from the north, General Rosecrans was rapidly concentrating his strung out forces to defend the town. Three divisions were pushed out to the outer line of earthworks (the old "Beauregard Line"). These troops would delay the Confederate advance until Rosecrans' entire force could be reassembled at the inner fortifications.Comments:
(PLAYER SIDE - UNION) With Hamilton’s division facing no attackers beyond a thin line of cavalry skirmishers opposite the Union right (off-map), the force at hand on the left cannot possibly roll back the Confederate tide. Instead, slow the enemy advance and try to hold on to as many of the high-value map objectives as possible, especially the intersection of the Columbus and Chewalla roads. Basically, the goal is to do better than history, which saw the Confederates seizing the aforementioned crossroads at 2 pm.

Corinth (Day 1): White House (Historical) - Oct. 3 1862Description:
By mid-afternoon, Van Dorn's army, after driving the Union forces back for most of the morning and early afternoon, confronted a new Federal battle line just north of Battery Robinett. This patchwork defense was composed of the exhausted remnants of Thomas Davies' division. Formed along a wooded rise east of the White House, the Federal position was well chosen. However, the artillery, placed well in front of the infantry, was dangerously exposed. At the same time and to the west, Colonel Marcellus Crocker's fresh Iowa brigade defended Battery F against Confederate General John C. Moore's brigade. Comments:
(PLAYER SIDE - CONFEDERATE) Mansfield Lovell’s failure to advance after the capture of the Beauregard Line badly weakened the late afternoon attacks on Battery F and the White House fields. Even so, enough strength is available to defeat this final stand, especially with Hamilton’s Union division remaining idle.

Corinth (Day 1): White House (What-if) - Oct. 3 1862Historical Description:
This variant to the White House scenario assumes that the misunderstanding between Rosecrans and division commander General Charles Hamilton on the afternoon of October 3 did not occur. Hamilton's entire two-brigade division will move as ordered to attack the Confederate left flank and rear.Comments:
(PLAYER SIDE – CONFEDERATE) This historical what-if White House scenario lengthens the odds of Confederate success as the player must be much more concerned with the possibility of fresh Union forces from Hamilton’s division driving into his army’s open left flank. This is the scenario that Rosecrans himself envisioned for the afternoon of October 3.

Battle of Corinth (Historical Full Day 2) - Oct. 4 1862Historical Description:
Most Confederates believed Corinth could and should have been taken on October 3. The plan of battle on the 4th called for Lovell to redeem his poor performance on the previous day by attacking the Union left at College Hill while Maury assaulted Battery Robinett in the center and Hebert's division (under Green) hit the federal right north of town. Once again Lovell hesitated, doing next to nothing while Price's two divisions were bloodied conducting repeated frontal assaults. Price’s infantry briefly scored a breakthrough, his men swarming into the streets of Corinth before being contained and then herded back beyond their original positions with heavy losses. The fighting around Robinett was especially murderous, punctuated by the death of Colonel Rogers of the 2nd Texas. Comments:
(PLAYER SIDE - CONFEDERATE) This scenario covers the battle’s second day in its entirety. The start of the fighting was delayed by Hebert’s illness and the confusion attendant to this abrupt change of division command. The Union position is strong on the flanks as well as the center, the best Confederate hope being that weight of numbers at the point of attack will lead to a breakthrough somewhere that will spread panic and collapse the entire enemy line. The historical fighting was relatively brief, lasting between one and two hours, but you have a bit more time.

Corinth (Day 2): Battery Robinett (Historical) - Oct. 4 1862Historical Description:
The brutal fury that raged around the field and ditch fronting Battery Robinett on October 4 rivalled any of the most terrible of Civil War killing grounds. At the height of the attack, Colonel William P. Rogers of the 2nd Texas Infantry was killed, the photograph of his bloody corpse the most iconic image of the battle.Comments:
(PLAYER SIDE - CONFEDERATE) This small scenario is tightly focused on the Battery Robinett fighting, the small map area encompassing the scene of the “forlorn hope” Confederate frontal assault by two brigades of General Maury’s division.

Corinth (Day 2): College Hill (What-if) - Oct. 4 1862Description:
During the historical battle, Mansfield Lovell declined sending his full division against College Hill, the fortified left flank of the Union defenses. This understandably angered those Confederates that did attack on the 4th and briefly break through Union lines. Comments:
(PLAYER SIDE - CONFEDERATE) This scenario assumes that Lovell acts aggressively and assaults the College Hill position with his three brigades.

Battle of Davis Bridge (Historical) - Oct. 5 1862Historical Description:
After the disastrous fight at Corinth, the Confederates were forced to retreat. With Lovell covering the rear, Price led his wrecked divisions back to join the army trains parked in the fork formed by the confluence of the Hatchie and Tuscumbia rivers. Back in Corinth, Rosecrans gave his army the rest of the 4th to recover and ordered the pursuit to begin early on the 5th. Meanwhile, Hurlbut's division of Ord's district, previously ordered to Corinth from Bolivar, was now in position to block the Hatchie crossing at Davis Bridge. These Federals arrived at the heights overlooking the river just as the lead Confederate division, Maury's, was crossing the Hatchie. Ord assumed command just as the Union attack was launched, his men crushing the weak Confederate vanguard. The federals pursued the survivors across the bridge, where they confronted a new Confederate line formed atop the heights and crowned with artillery. Several bloody assaults later, the southern forces withdrew, crossing the Hatchie River further south.Comments:
(PLAYER SIDE - UNION) Disposing of the Confederates west of the river is simple enough but carrying the two main enemy positions east of Davis Bridge is another matter entirely. Unless you suffer crippling losses, occupying the imposing wooded heights just east of Davis Bridge should be enough to earn a minor victory.

Davis Bridge (What-if) - October 5 1862Description:
This historical variant assumes that Ord, instead of attacking, elects to set up a blocking position atop the Matamora heights. The Confederate army is forced to directly assault the position in order to reopen its line of retreat.Comments:
(PLAYER SIDE - CONFEDERATE) Your battered army may be too weak to completely rout Hurlbut’s division but a focused effort might topple the enemy off its strong ridge top position and leave you with possession of the field.

Battle of Young's Bridge (Historical) - Oct. 5 1862Historical Description:
As the vanguard of the Confederate Army of West Tennessee strove to stave off disaster at Davis Bridge, the elite brigade of John S. Bowen was entrusted with the defense of the army's rear. At Big Hill, just east of the Tuscumbia River crossing at Young's Bridge, Bowen expertly placed his crack brigade of Mississippians and Missourians. At dusk, the small but fresh division of Union General James B. McPherson made a weak attack against this position and was repulsed. His mission accomplished, Bowen withdrew during the night. After crossing the river and burning Young's Bridge behind him, the general and his men rejoined the main body. Comments:
(PLAYER SIDE - UNION) With darkness fast approaching, the player must move quickly to pierce the Confederate line and send an advanced unit to seize and hold Young’s Bridge. With the extremely thin time window, it is likely that a bit of luck will be required to bring the operation to a successful conclusion.

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CWB - Peninsula $2.99

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Description:
CWB - Peninsula comprises 17 scenarios, covering the fighting on the Virginia Peninsula from Seven Pines through the conclusion of the Seven Days Battles at Malvern Hill.Screenshots:

Though a massive morning attack east of Richmond was planned by Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston, the Battle of Seven Pines did not begin until early afternoon due to road congestion and unimaginable levels of subordinate bungling. The resulting traffic snarl meant that only a fraction of available forces were used during the May 31 attack on Seven Pines and Fair Oaks. Though initially successful, the Confederate assault petered out in the face of Union reinforcements. Johnston was wounded late in the day and the brief fight on June 1 was similarly disorganized and inconclusive. The scenario encompasses the entire May 31 fighting at Seven Pines and the Fair Oaks battle that developed later in the day against Union reinforcements sent south across the swollen Chickahominy River.

2. Drewry’s Bluff (Hypothetical) – June 5 1862 (PLAYER SIDE - UNION)

After the navy’s failure to reduce the Confederate fort and guns below Richmond at Drewry’s Bluff, the Union command declined to further test its defenses during the campaign. This hypothetical scenario assumes that McClellan is determined to take the fort by a combined operation, detailing William B. Franklin’s division (now under Henry Slocum), veterans of the amphibious operation at Eltham’s Landing in May, for the task. The land assault is assisted by a naval squadron headed by the previously battered USS Galena.

The historical fight at Linney’s Corner during Jeb Stuart’s “Ride Around McClellan” was a tiny skirmish. This hypothetical scenario imagines a battle between Stuart’s brigade-sized raiding force and the Union cavalry command of his father-in-law Union General Phillip St. George Cooke. Stuart’s brigade is composed of the historical units that participated in the raid.

Oak Grove (also known as the Battle of French's House or King's Schoolhouse) was the first of the famed Seven Days battles. General McClellan ordered a probing attack against Richmond's outer fortifications astride the Williamsburg Road for the morning of the 25th. Hooker's III Corps division dutifully stepped off into the intervening tree line and was immediately caught hip deep in a sticky morass that was a northern extension of White Oak Swamp. Confederate troops from Benjamin Huger's division quickly advanced to meet them. The resulting daylong fight ended in a draw. As nothing was really accomplished that was worth the lives spent, the fight was dubbed derisively as the "Battle of the Casualties". The historical battle played out in two phases: morning (8a-10:30a) and afternoon (1:30p-dusk). This scenario covers the initial morning attacks, the goal being to capture and hold the contested ground between the lines.

5. Old Tavern (Hypothetical) – June 25 1862 (PLAYER SIDE - UNION)

Before deciding upon an attack in the Oak Grove sector, McClellan considered assaulting the far left of the Confederate entrenchment line located just south of the Chickahominy. With open ground in front, the Union army could exploit its artillery superiority. A plausible what-if scenario, the Union VI Corps and one II Corps division attacks the Confederate defenses around Old Tavern on the Nine Mile Road. Magruder's command defends Old Tavern, with no small amount of artillery at his own disposal.

By late afternoon on the 26th, and with no word from Stonewall Jackson, four brigades of A.P. Hill's Light Division advanced to within half a mile of the Federal position at Beaver Dam Creek, all the while under heavy artillery fire from across the creek. Miscommunication on the Confederate side was everywhere and several reinforced but still uncoordinated attacks were launched, all of which were easily repulsed by well-posted Union forces.

An integral part of Lee’s attack plan on the 26th was Stonewall Jackson’s turning of the Union right flank. Historically, he never arrived, leaving Hill to assault the Union works frontally. In this variant, the leading elements of Jackson’s command advance down Telegraph Road, behind the federal right flank, right as Hill commences his attack.

8. Battle of Gaines’s Mill – June 27 1862 (PLAYER SIDE - CONFEDERATE)

After the previous day's defensive victory at Beaver Dam Creek, General Porter pulled his V Corps back, concentrating it atop the sloping high ground east of Gaines's Mill in a strong position overlooking the Chickahominy River crossings. Makeshift breastworks were erected, further improving already strong natural defenses. Unfamiliar with the area occupied by the V Corps, General Lee made the mistaken assumption that the Federals were posted along Powhite Creek with an open right flank. Sending General Jackson's command to outflank this line from the northeast, General Lee directed Generals Hill and Longstreet to attack Porter's center and left. Once again, poor communications, delays, and mistaken assumptions transformed an expected flanking attack into a series of frontal assaults. Gradually reinforced, Porter put up a ferocious resistance but was eventually overwhelmed as night fell. Losses were heavy, especially on the Confederate side. Not for the faint of heart, this very large scenario (in terms of sheer numbers of on-map units) covers the entire historical battle from A.P. Hill’s initial afternoon assault through the final evening breakthrough and defeat of Porter’s V Corps.

9. Golding’s Farm – June 28 1862 (PLAYER SIDE - CONFEDERATE)

Though a lively skirmish was fought on Golding's Farm between elements of David R. Jones’s Confederate division and William F. Smith’s division of the Union VI Corps, the 28th would overall prove to be a welcome respite from the terrible fighting of the previous two days. At this point in the campaign, General McClellan decided to retreat to the James River, where he would set up a new logistical base. Beginning on June 27, the Confederates fought over this ground on consecutive days, with this scenario covering the last fight, a probing attack against thinning but still occupied Union siege lines around Redoubt #6.

10. Allen’s Farm (Hypothetical) – June 29 1862 (PLAYER SIDE - UNION)

By the morning of the 29th, McClellan's retreating army stretched from the south bank of the Chickahominy all the way to White Oak Swamp and the Glendale crossroads. Determined to cut the Federals off from the James River, Lee ordered several columns down parallel roads south of the Chickahominy River in an attempt to head off McClellan. Because these moves would take a great deal of time to develop, the Federal rear guard needed to be fixed in place. The job fell to the command of General John B. Magruder. Heavily outnumbered, Magruder's hesitant attacks did not materially inhibit the retreat of McClellan's army. Believing the enemy rear guard to be much smaller than it actually was, General Lee criticized Magruder for not attacking more aggressively. This hypothetical scenario assumes that the Union defenders of Allen’s Farm did not fall back to Savage’s Station and beyond, but instead went on the offensive against Magruder’s outnumbered defenders.

11. Battle of Savage’s Station – June 29 1862 (PLAYER SIDE - CONFEDERATE)

After the morning skirmish at Allen’s Farm, only a small rear guard consisting of II Corps detachments was left behind at Savage’s Station to cover the Army of the Potomac’s retreat to the James River. With elements of three divisions, Magruder launched a late afternoon attack from the west, prompting a return of several recently departed VI Corps brigades. The resulting battle, which lasted until night, was bloody but indecisive. This scenario comprises the historical battle from beginning to end, with Magruder’s command on the offensive.

Glendale (also known as Frayser's Farm, Nelson's Farm/ Crossroads, White Oak Swamp, Charles City Crossroads, New Market Road, Turkey Bridge, or Willis's Church) represented the best chance for Lee to destroy a significant portion of the Army of the Potomac before it reached the safety of the James River. Converging columns along the Charles City, Darbytown, and River roads would be in position to cut off the large Union rear guard at Glendale and White Oak Swamp. Unfortunately for General Lee, the inactivity of the commands of Jackson and Huger, combined with the tenacious Union defense at Glendale, would once again thwart his plans for destroying the Army of the Potomac. Another narrow escape would set the stage for a bloody final battle atop the sloping ground north of Malvern Hill. The entire Glendale battle is covered in this scenario, with two Confederate divisions (Longstreet’s and Hill’s) attacking into the teeth of a strong Union defensive line formed in the shape of a wide and deep V, at the vertex of which sits the vital Glendale crossroads.

Historically, in one of his worst performances of the war, an exhausted Stonewall Jackson made little attempt, beyond long range shelling, to attack the Union rear guard situated along the hills lining the southern border of White Oak Swamp. This What-If scenario assumes a more energetic Jackson was able to marshal his command for a full scale attack, his Valley Army divisions actively seeking swamp crossings at a number of fords in order to press the Union rear guard closely enough to prevent help being sent to the beleaguered Union defenders at Glendale.

Command and control problems plagued the Confederate pursuit of the Union army’s retreat to the James River. General Benjamin Huger was one of several of Lee’s senior subordinates that failed to vigorously press the enemy. This variant assumes an aggressive Huger, whose division was in a position to severely test the Union right flank at Glendale. This division-scale scenario is a classic tactical puzzle for the attacker. The ground directly in front of the Union defensive position is swept by artillery, while both flanks are covered by natural obstacles—swamps on the Confederate left and forest on the right.

Confederate General Theophilus Holmes has received a great deal of criticism by historians for his failure to attack the west face of Malvern Hill (the “Malvern Cliffs”) on the 30th. Lost in this is just how strong the Union position –a thin, but well placed, front line supported by abundant reserves – truly was. This variant allows the Confederate player to test whether Holmes’s division truly was capable of accomplishing more than a mere diversion.

16. Battle of Malvern Hill – July 1 1862 (PLAYER SIDE - CONFEDERATE)

Narrowly averting defeat at Glendale, the Army of the Potomac continued its retreat to the James River, taking up defensive positions at Haxall's Landing and Malvern Hill. After briefly overseeing his army’s dispositions, General McClellan once again left the front, boarding the U.S.S. Galena and leaving the conduct of the battle to his subordinates. General Lee, seething over his inability to catch and destroy McClellan's army, saw his plans, though not particularly imaginative to begin with, devolve once again into a brutal piecemeal frontal assault. The expected massed artillery bombardment did not occur and attacking Confederate infantry were slaughtered on the northern slopes of Malvern Hill. Commenting after the fight on the appearance of the battlefield, Union Colonel W.W. Averell observed that the struggling wounded gave the field "a singular crawling effect". Confederate General D.H. Hill famously said "It was not war—it was murder."

17. Malvern Hill (Historical Variant) – July 1 1862

In this variant to the Malvern Hill scenario, additional forces are available on variable release.

1. First Battle of Boonville – June 17 1861
Historical Description:
In his plan to conquer "Little Dixie" (the stretch of pro-Southern counties along the Missouri River in the west-central part of the state)), Federal General Nathaniel Lyon utilized river steamboats to transport his small army swiftly up the Missouri River to defeat the Missouri State Guard (MSG). Landing just east of Boonville, Lyon, assisted by an armed steamer, quickly defeated state forces under Governor Claiborne Fox Jackson and MSG Colonel John S. Marmaduke. The capture of Camp Bacon and the make-shift arsenal outside the town dealt a serious blow to pro-Secessionist morale in the state. Though small in size by later-war standards, Boonville was a very important battle in that it forced the Missouri State Guard to abandon Little Dixie, surrendering the transportation network and entire middle section of the state to U.S. control.

2. Dry Fork Creek – July 5 1861
Historical Description:
On July 5, 1861, the left wing of General Lyon's two-pronged offensive, commanded by Colonel Franz Sigel, moved aggressively to intercept a Missouri State Guard column moving south to join Confederate forces. North of Carthage, Sigel found what he was looking for and he quickly realized he had bitten off more than he could chew. Heavily outnumbered, Sigel conducted a masterful fighting withdrawal across 3 creeks and the Spring River, finally passing through Carthage before night ended the action. Though they failed to destroy Sigel, the State Guard had cleared the way for a junction with Confederate forces and a day of destiny at Wilson's Creek.

3. Final Attack at Carthage – July 5 1861
Historical Description:
By evening of the 5th, the exhausted State Guardsmen had driven Sigel over the Spring River and into Carthage itself. After a short fight, Sigel took up a strong position on a piece of high ground east of town along the River Road. Exhausted and disorganized, State Guard forces were unable to crack this final line, allowing Sigel to retreat relatively unmolested.

4. Wilson’s Creek: “Bloody Hill” – Aug 10 1861
Historical Description:
After several hours of light fighting, Union forces found themselves poised both above and below the Southern camps along Wilson’s Creek. Lyon’s northern wing occupied the wooded eminence soon to be known as "Bloody Hill", his command facing repeated frontal attacks by Missouri State Guard forces throughout the morning. At the same time, on the southern end of the field, Colonel Franz Sigel's brigade rested astride the Southern army’s lifeline, poised to attack the rear of the combined Confederate and State Guard forces.

5. Battle of Wilson’s Creek: Lyon’s Plan – Aug 10 1861
Historical Description:
This is a historical variant covering the entire battle. It assumes that Lyon was able to resist Sigel’s demands for an independent strike force. Instead, the entire Union army will attack from the north.

6. Battle of Wilson’s Creek – Aug 10 1861
Historical Description:
At dawn on August 10 1861, General Lyon launched his surprise attack on the combined Confederate/State Guard camp at Wilson's Creek, Missouri. Shells lobbed into the cavalry camps to the south caused a panic, effectively opening the way into the Southern rear for General Franz Sigel's brigade. At the north end of the field, the lines eventually solidified west of the Telegraph road atop "Bloody Hill". There, General Lyon was killed and his command finally forced into retreat after a long, tough fight. To the south near Skegg Branch, Sigel, after initial success, misidentified oncoming Confederate infantry as friendlies and his brigade was decisively routed.

7. Siege of Lexington: The Ring Closes – Sept 18 1861
Historical Description:
After Wilson's Creek, General Price was eager to advance to the Missouri River to regain control of the vital "Little Dixie" region. Confederate General Ben McCulloch, however, refused to cooperate and Price was forced to go it alone. His goal was Lexington, defended by the Union "Irish Brigade" under James Mulligan, who occupied a formidable line of fortifications surrounding the Masonic College north of town. By September 18, Price had surrounded Mulligan on three sides.

8. Siege of Lexington: “Battle of the Hemp Bales” – Sept 20 1861
Historical Description:
The 20th was the day of the final showdown. Guardsmen soaked massive hemp bales in the river and rolled them uphill toward the Federal trenches. Several long lines of these "moving breastworks" worked their way toward the western end of Mulligan's Union defenses. With no friendly relief forces in sight, Mulligan finally realized defeat was inevitable and surrendered at 3 o'clock. With the capture of 3,500 prisoners, 3,000 stand of arms, 10 cannon and mortars, and over $100,000 worth of commissary supplies, Price and his State Guardsmen had achieved a major victory.

9. Pea Ridge (Day One): Leetown – Mar 7 1862
Historical Description:
After discovering the entire Confederate army moving behind his own, Union General Samuel Curtis dispatched a flying column to Leetown to cover his right rear. The ad-hoc Union cavalry force attacked Confederate cavalry moving along the Ford Road toward Elkhorn Tavern. After initial success in scattering much of the Confederate Indians, the Federals were attacked by overwhelming numbers of enemy cavalry at Foster’s Farm and routed. The Confederates then pulled their infantry from the road and moved to the attack. Though heavily outnumbering the Union defenders, the poorly directed Confederates were completely defeated, losing both ranking commanders (McCulloch and McIntosh) in the process.

10. Pea Ridge (Day One): Elkhorn Tavern – Mar 7 1862
Historical Description:
While Federal forces were fighting and winning the Leetown battle 2 miles to the west, Southern forces were slowly pressing back the thin Union defenses in Cross Timber Hollow. The Federal position was anchored upon Elkhorn Tavern, where a small cache of supplies was stored. By late afternoon, Price's State Guard and Confederate divisions were finally able to outflank and defeat their opponents and capture the important tavern position.

11. Battle of Pea Ridge (Day 2) – Mar 8 1862
Historical Description:
Exhausted and dangerously low on ammunition, Van Dorn prepared to face off with Curtis for a second day. During the night, the troops from the Leetown fight crossed behind Pea Ridge and joined Price near Elkhorn Tavern. A brief morning bombardment exhausted most of the Southern artillery ammunition. Although the Federals were now completely cut off, General Curtis confidently assembled his army in the fields fronting the Confederate lines. After a fierce artillery barrage, the blue line moved forward. Van Dorn ordered a hasty retreat and the Confederate army, demoralized at having to retreat after the previous day's victory, rapidly fell apart and melted away before the Federal attack.

12. Battle of Newtonia – Sept 30 1862
Historical Description:
In September 1862, Confederate cavalry under Douglas Cooper and Jo Shelby rode into SW Missouri. To counter this move, a provisional Union division was formed under General Frederick Salomon. Cooper ordered a concentration at Newtonia, an important town located at the junction of several major roads. There, Salomon's advance forces were roughly handled by the Southerners before his full force finally arrived on the field at mid-afternoon on the 30th. After a cautious fight characterized mostly by artillery exchange, the Federals withdrew to Sarcoxie.

13. Battle of Cane Hill – Nov 28 1862
Historical Description:
In order to shield preparations for a planned offensive by General Thomas Hindman's Confederate army, the cavalry under General John S. Marmaduke advanced to Cane Hill, Arkansas. This move allowed Marmaduke to observe Federal operations from Kansas, Indian Territory and Missouri. Seeing this, Federal General James Blunt decided to attack with his Kansas Division. Though heavily outnumbered, Marmaduke was able to extricate his division with trifling loss.

14. Battle of Prairie Grove: Early Afternoon – Dec 7 1862
Historical Description:
The cavalry advance of General Francis Herron's 2nd and 3rd divisions arrived at Prairie Grove early on the 7th. At dawn, Marmaduke attacked, routing Herron's cavalry and driving them across the Illinois River and beyond. With the approach of Herron's infantry, the Confederates withdrew and set up a defensive position atop the commanding Prairie Grove heights. A series of Union attacks and Confederate counterattacks were launched all along the front, the result being a bloody draw.

15. Battle of Prairie Grove: Blunt’s Assault – Dec 7 1862
Historical Description:
At mid-afternoon on the 7th, General Blunt’s Kansas Division arrived on the field. His three brigades formed up opposite the Confederate left flank and launched a furious assault. Reinforcements bolstered the Confederate line and a dusk counterattack by General Mosby M. Parsons restored the line. The Battle of Prairie Grove was over.